and strong winds is about to hit. our chief meteorologist bill martin tells us where the storm is striking first. >> that picture, tom vacar is up there, you see how hard it is raining? it is heading our way. heaviest rain in the north bay. santa rosa area. it will work its way south into the evening hours. but it will rain up there for a full -- boy, 6-8 hours before it gets here. the story tomorrow is the morning commute. it will be the worst morning commute we have had in a while. roadway flooding, especially in the north bay. looking at dangerous cross winds. we have a high wind advisory in effect. and looking at longer commutes. wire looking for the -- we are looking for had heb rast rain in the early morning --

heaviest rains in the early morning. flash flood watch in effect. we showed you the pictures. tom vacar is watching the russian river. up high on the river. it isn't up yet, is it? >> reporter: no. 5 minutes ago it was scattered showers, but now it is starting to come down. here is the latest from the forecasters about what the river levels will be. the russian river is now just over -- around 3 feet. however by late saturday night, or early sunday, it is expected to rise and peak at 17 feet. very high but still 6 feet under its normal flood stage. remember these are forecasts based on what the storms are

expected to do, so with water so close to the flood stage coming, caution is advised, something most folks up here understand. we will stand by and keep watching. but at this point the weather is starting to come in, the winds are picking up. back to you. >> the north bay saw major flooding on new year's day in 2006. the russian river went over the banks and so did the napa river. it wasn't the result of just one strong, there were several events. since then there have been improvements in flood controls. >> in san francisco crews are fixing storm damage. the city's public works

department may not have enough man power to deal with all the problems. ktvu's david stevenson has more. >> reporter: rain is falling and the race is on to prepare san francisco neighborhoods, businesses and homes for the coming storms. >> i came around the backand surprise. >> the surprise, an aging tree. it crashed on to her property at 4:00 a.m. this morning. >> we will take responsibility for getting it right. >> reporter: the department of public works is under staffed but rushing to trim or remove trees that might blow down. the concern includes leaves on the sidewalk. >> if you see trees, leaves on the sidewalk, don't sweep it into the gutter. >> reporter: the fear is

clogged catch basins. a whirlpool yesterday. >> as soon as that blockage cleared out water just went back into the drain. >> reporter: at ocean beach they reopened the great highway. heavy rain last week caused a sewage spill. >> we should have it open today before the rains hit. >> reporter: even as homeowners loaded up on sand bags some were determined to make the best of the weather. >> it is cool. >> reporter: the department of public works said she warned them about the trees several weeks ago. reporting live in san francisco, david stevenson, ktvu channel 2 news. >> residents and tree trimming crews were very busy today getting ready for the storms.

the ground is saturated. their house sits under a dying 130-foot fur tree. they called in a crew to take the tree down and now the homeowner has peace of mind. >> i can go to bed and feel good about it because the bedroom is right there. it is all good. >> experts say fur trees are the most dangerous to have in bad weather. >> flash flood watch will be in effect for many portions of the bay area. we could see creeks over flow. ktvu's ken pritchett is in walnut creak with what is expected there. ken? >> reporter: behind me is the canal. a flood control area. one resident told me a few days ago it was dry and now you can see it is flowing. that is expected to increase as the storms go on. the contra costa county flood control district says they are not sure how much auditor we

will see but -- water we will see but they are not concerned about canals. it is large and engineered to handle severe storms. she lived next to the canal for 24 years. >> we haven't had any concerns so far. maybe 4-5 years ago there was a lot of water and it came up close. it is exciting. >> the bigger concern is those who ignore the danger signs that are posted long the canal area. in 2011 two children died during a time of heavy flow following a rain storm, two teens. neighbors say there have been a number of incidents. the residents expect to see the canal flowing heavily after the weekend. the concern is for the smaller uncontrolled creeks that are prone to flooding in the bay

area. the flash flood watch is set to begin in a hour and last through tomorrow afternoon and covers the bay area, especially the coastal areas and the north bay. ken pritchett, ktvu channel 2 news. >> you can follow our weather team online 24 hours a day. we are keeping you up to date on twitter and facebook. suspect may be responsible for other attacks and that he is getting more brazen. a man broke into a student's apartment. he tried to sexual assault her but the woman fought back and the suspect ran away. now police say this attack may be connected to three other groping cases in the area. >> look at the locations, the possible suspect descriptions. we will look at the victims. see if they relate to the case. >> if the crimes are linked

police say they appear to be escalating. sheriff's deputies arrested a man suspected of sexually assaulting two children. he is a relative of the victims. he was booked into jail on a slew of sexual assault charges and exhibiting a fire arm and making criminal threats. investigations of rape and molestation accusations made by patients that developmental center were incomplete. documents show dozens of cases of sex abuse. patients across california accused caretakers of rape 36 times but records show they failed to order any rape examinations of victim between 2009 and 2010. >> police are joining forces to help stem rising violence. the two police departments

launched a new program. the police chief said officers started sharing intelligence along resources and man power. the focus is on two rival gangs that are linked to a dozen shootings. fire investigators say a house fire last weekend may have been arson. the porch caught fire on joan court saturday morning. nobody was hurt but the fire caused $3,000 worth of damage. >> one person was injured today in san jose on north bound highway 101 before 3:30 p.m. this afternoon. a car ended up underneath another car. two other cars were also involved. the roads were wet at the time of the crash but they haven't said if the accident was

weather related. theitate is recommended a -- the state is recommending a womb be banned from working in public services. she was told to serve only store bought food. she served mushrooms that were poisoninous. -- poisonous. we took a look today at the new advanced water purification center being built in san jose. it is located along zacker road. it will supply water for landscaping. >> right now 5% of our water supply is from recycled water. we have a goal to increase that to 10% over the next 10 years. >> the project is funded by 

federal stimulus money, grants and 11 million from the city of san jose. an ordinance that would allow airport staff to shoot birds around the airport. there have been 180 reported incidents of bird strikes since 2009. the u.s. labor department said jobless claims jobbed for the second straight week. 23,000 fewer claims were filed and in california 26,000 fewer claims were filed. that is second only to new york. hundreds of veterans showed up for a job fair in oakland. it featured 33 companies looking to hire veterans and members of their family. >> sometimes it could be tough

to transition your skills. if you are like me, it could be tough to translate skills. >> the job fair featured a work shop to help them improve their resume. it helped 14,000 veterans find jobs nationwide. for the first time alex smith speaks about becoming second string. >> feel like i haven't done anything. >> storm number 2, coming up, the time line on storm number three and it promises to be just as nasty as the one tomorrow. >> after the break, the government booting out a bay area tradition, what this means for your food prices.

a state appeals court up held a conviction of a teacher who pleaded no contest to molesting a student in the 1990s. she filed an appeal following her appeal deal. he sexually abused her when she was a teen. he faces an 8 year prison sentence. >> a classmate of two sisters killed created a website to help the family. they died after their suv crashed on highway 101. her friend launched the site and it raised $6,500. you can find a link on our website, www.ktvu.com. officials have agreed to allow more public airing of its

review process. >> the meetings have to be public, noticed. you have to allow for that. we will work with them on that. and i think it will make for a better product. >> he says officials need to address the perception and the reality there are conflictsflicts of interest. set back for a business. ktvu's health and science editor john fowler traveled to drakes bay. >> reporter: a gray and gloomy day at drake's bay. oyster farm is ending. suddenly ordered to close tomorrow. >> disbelief. a combination that create as shock.

>> reporter: he says he phoned him today. he was stunned. the park lease is over. family business gone. 30 people out of work. >> this will have a profound effect. >> reporter: customers also stunned. >> so sad that now this will not happen anymore. we could see the last people. >> reporter: a study claims the farm harms marine mammals. the company is considering legal action. it has gotten praise for jobs. he loses his job of 30 years tomorrow. his wife, three children and 15 other families must leave their homes. >> i feel bad. >> reporter: what are you going to do? >> i don't know. >> the company cannot relocate. and the loss of oysters will force up prices. >> this will be a crushing blow

to seafood production in california. >> reporter: this area where sir frances drake landed is now to be california's first federally designated wilderness area. health and science editor john fowler ktvu channel 2 news. plan to create new low income housing in danville is facing opposition. 150 people showed up at a meeting last night at the community center to voice their concerns. the plan includes 9 acres of housing to meet state housing requirements. another meeting is set for december 11. california international guard rescue crews landed in san diego with a patient they rescued off the most of mexico. this is videof the crew leaving yesterday -- video of the crew

leaving yesterday. the man suffers from serious head injuries. crews hoisted him off the ship in the pacific ocean. showing rain now, heaviest in the north bay, work its way south. a significant change in a moment. what we can see right now, heavier rains. significant stuff. working all night to show you the rain forecast. here is the rain forecast tomorrow afternoon. up there in the drainage basin, 5 inches of rain. 3 inches around santa rosa. 2 inches around the bay area. this is what we can expect tomorrow. that is significant rainfall. we can handle that. special if we get the break

tomorrow afternoon. right now, heavy rainfall. flash flood watch is in effect at 7:00 p.m. it lasts till monday morning. wind advisory same deal. wind advisory lasts till 11:00 a.m. friday morning, wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour. this low-pressure system is the low that is spinning the systems here. tomorrow morning's commute is messy. especially early morning. messy. saturday is your break. sunday morning it will be busy again. rosemary orozco will be here, i will be here sunday morning as well. we are concerned about the rivers. the timing has changed. the latest model, i said it was going to linger 8-9 hours. looks like it will progress. 11:00 p.m., raining, drizzle. starting to move. moving about midnight. that is different than what i

showed you hours ago. it is making an adjustment. midnight. 2:00 a.m., it is moving into the bay area. 4 hours earlier. not surprised that is happening. once they go they go. 6:00 a.m., right now, the very early morning will be the heaviest rainfall. early morning commute. when i get back tonight at 10:00 p.m., the latest run will be up. that is a big change on that model. i am surprised. it moved 4 hours. that is good news because it gets the rain out and moves it through. sunday a big one. >> thank you. >> cisco plans to buy keratin technologies for $141 million. they supply planning, design

and traffic management solutions. this is their third acquisition this month. coming up on bay area news at 7:00 on tv 36 our storm watch coverage continues. and extended flash flood watch goes into effect. where concerns are running high and the discovery made this week that could have an impact on one major california crop. join us for these stories and more on bay area news at 7:00 on tv 36. alex smith speaks out, the tough words he had today about colin kaepernick named the starter for sunday's 49er game.

♪ [ music box: lullaby ] [ man on tv, indistinct ] ♪ [ lullaby continues ] [ baby coos ] [ man announcing ] millions are still exposed to the dangers... of secondhand smoke... and some of them can't do anything about it.

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fred inglis is in for mark ibanez. a tough spot for alex smith and we hear for him. >> stand up guy. it is hard to feel sorry for millionaire football players. alex smith used to be an unwritten rule, players don't lose their jobs to an injury but that is what happened. gave colin kaepernick a spotlight to shine. >> he invested so much time.

like i said, really feel like -- you know, i haven't done anything besides to get a concussion to facilitate this. >> meanwhile the raiders keep extending the drama around rolando mcclain. number 55 rolando mcclain missed his second straight practice after a confrontation with the head coach. he said he was no longer a raider and looking forward to joining an actual team. >> this is something that we got -- we got to make a decision as a organization and we will make sure we make the right decision. i mean, i am not sure what signal anybody is looking for. we are going to -- we are going to, you know, make a decision and that is what we will do.

>> commit. one bit of good news is darren mcfadden is back practicing. hopes to play sunday. that game is not sold out and will be blacked out on tv but he leads the team in rushing. he scored two touchdowns in 8 games. as we said, raiders sell out streak ends at 13 games. and that is sports for this thursday. >> thank you. before we go. one more look at storm tracker 2. >> the latest development, the system is speeding up. that would be good news for the north bay, puts it in here earlier. update at 7:00 p.m. and tonight at 10:00 p.m. the latest model. >> we will have the latest tonight at 10p.m. thank you for trusting ktvu channel 2 news.